We Walk Separate Paths
by leDia-chan
Summary: The final battle approaches, but what secrets do the gods still hold? And what secrets do the half-bloods themselves hold? AU TLO, Part 1/2
1. Prolouge  Reflection

Hey there! I've had a writer's block the past few months, and otherwise I've been brainstorming about stories and such. So, finally, I've decided to start writing this story. I'm extremely excited, and can't wait for reviews about it. One thing before I begin though, I will be borrowing a few little ideas from some other stories that are like this, but I'll be trying hard to make them my own. Enjoy!

Prolouge-PPOV

The door creaked open and someone stepped in, walking towards him. Percy didn't know who it was at first, until the distinctive clink of glass made him realize who it was. He opened his eyes and stared at the window in front of him, which showed the glowing night of downtown New York.

"Sorry for disturbing you, Lord, but without…" The voice behind him drifted off uncomfortably. He ignored it and continued to stare out at the window. The footsteps retreated, and the click of the lock on the door told him he was alone.

Percy turned away from the night skyline and his focused on the glass of water sitting, waiting on the desk, as well as the small vial the glowed gold. Just a few more days, and he would be free of this stupid room.

His fingers reached for the small vial, but hesitated.

_Go on, _the voice he was starting to be accustomed to, whispered. On their own accord, his fingers pulled the stopper from the vial, and poured it into the water, where the liquid expanded down to the bottom and then dissolved.

His thoughts darkened suddenly as he realized what the action meant.

No, not a few days, like he thought, like what they told him whenever they delivered the glass of water and vial to him. After this drink, he would be free. His hands trembled as he reached for the glass.

The coolness surprised him as always, and he dropped the glass to the floor after he was finished. Tremors started to wrack his frame, and he yelled in pain, collapsing to the floor. A laugh erupted from his lips.

_Now, we can begin. _The voice was now permanently in his head, he realized. His body stood against his will, even as the last dregs of pain drained out of him. He turned to look at the night again, and the window reflected his visage back to him.

Gold eyes, no longer the sea green they once were.

-End Prolouge-

What does this mean? ^.^ Review!


	2. Hey, Look Who I Found!

Well, here we are, the first official chapter :D I've decided to post chapters two at a time to make you all happy, which means there will be longer waits between chapters. Most of this story will be Percy's POV, some Annabeth, ect. Remember, this is AU after TLO, and TLH doesn't happen like you think it would. You'll have to wait and see what I mean.

Chapter 1 - Approximately 1 month earlier – PPOV

Percy sat down with a sigh under the bush he and Annabeth were hiding behind. Their target was at least five minutes late. Annabeth pulled her shield from where it was on her back and set it down between them. An image of the surrounding forest and nearby school appeared. She ran her hand over it, and it zoomed in on a walking figure about a hundred feet from the, approaching.

Percy relaxed at first, until Annabeth jabbed him sharply as his focus drifted back to the path in front of him.

"Monster," she whispered, standing and strapping the shield to her back. Percy groaned and stood as well, stretching.

"Want me to deal with it?" He said nonchalantly, and Annabeth rolled her eyes, shooing him away towards the monster. Percy grinned.

He crept along behind the bushes until he heard- and smelled- the monster just in front of him.

A shriek made him tumble out of the bushes, Riptide in his hand, still capped. He almost stopped there and would have run back towards Annabeth if not for the monster and the guilt that would have been on his mind.

Cowering in front of the Minotaur was none other than his old enemy, Nancy Bobofit. He turned back to where he knew Annabeth was still hiding.

"You sure we can't just leave this one? I mean, one less demigod can't hurt, right?" He complained. Annabeth's voice drifted over to him.

"Just kill the monster, Seaweed Brain, save grudges for later," she said. Sighing, he saw Nancy backing up to the wall of the school as the Minotaur stalked toward her slowly. Her eyes flicked between the monster and him, widening even more, if that was possible.

"Hey Beef Boy, back so soon? Wasn't the bridge enough for you?" He taunted while uncapping Riptide. Nancy stared at him as if he was insane, but it did the trick.

The Minotaur turned toward him, sniffling, and then charged.

Percy waited, and then side stepped easily, holding his blade out to the side, effectively cutting the Minotaur. The monster howled in pain, and turned back for another run. This time, Percy held his ground, Riptide held in front of him.

A moment later, and the Minotaur once again burst into ashes and went back to Tartarus, leaving a disgusted Percy, deathly pale Nancy, and Annabeth in the general area. Annabeth walked up to him, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, and then turning towards Nancy as Percy got to work cleaning his blade.

"So, who are you?" Annabeth asked, approaching her.

"I could say the same for you, Blondie," Nancy spit out. Annabeth reddened, and soon had Nancy pressed against the wall, her feet dangling a few inches from the ground.

"I'd watch what you say, newb." Annabeth hissed, then dropped Nancy back to the ground.

"See, Wise Girl? Leaving her alone would have been fine with me," Percy said, approaching the two. He stopped when, having not quite thought about it earlier, said, "Wait, Nancy?"

"Percy Jackson?" Nancy said stupidly, "That weird kid from sixth grade?"

-End-

LOL, that's all for now. Don't worry, there will be longer chapters soon (hopefully). I loose inspiration after like, 500 words. Review!


	3. Archery Doesn't Equal Death

Hey. I need to change something from last chapter. This story is NOT after TLO, it is AU TLO, but will still have some AU TLH, because I want to mix it up a bit. Rachel is still the Oracle, even if this is not at the end of the fifth book. By the way, thanks for reviewing, super whoot, it wasn't the kind of review I was looking for, but sure. On that note, all reviews are appreciated, flames will be used to explode Peeps. This is the only time I'm going to put the disclaimer in, seeing as, if I was Riordan, why would I be writing this.

Disclaimer: Dis and claimer. Meaning I am dis-claiming this. I'm not Rick Riordan. If I was, this would all be published.

* * *

Chapter 2-

"My dear, may I ask why you are here?" Chiron asked, sitting in his wheelchair form. Rachel fidgeted on the couch she was sitting on inside the Big House.

"Well, there was this prophecy... I had..." Rachel said, fidgeting again, remembering, and not liking the words.

"And this would be?" Chiron asked gently.

"It's about the Great Prophecy, and the last battle, and well, everything. I don't like it Chiron, not at all." Rachel sighed, slouching back. She reached into her jacket pocket, and pulled out a scroll tied with a dark green ribbon. Chiron took it gingerly and unrolled it, his eyes scrolling the paper, and his face paling as he read further and further.

'_When your hero no longer has a friend,_

_And all your secrets have been revealed,_

_Two by two you cross on over_

_Through the Gates of Death._

_'Hold the past near and dear,_

_Even though no shield will do._

_Two by two you cross on over,_

_Through the Gates of Death.'_

_'Stop again and wind the golden clock_

_What so little hope remains is beyond you,_

_Two by two you cross on over,_

_Through the Gates of Death._

_'When the dove has been stripped of its wings,_

_And your commanders, friends losing hope,_

_Two by two you cross on over,_

_Through the Gates of Death._

_'Dance lightly upon the final stage,_

_Where he alone will decide your fate,_

_One by one he slips on over,_

_Through the Gates of Death.'_

The scroll fell lightly to the floor as Chiron finished. Rachel bowed her head.

"What are we to do now?" Chiron whispered to himself, though Rachel heard as well.

**-Percy**

I trudged up the hill with Annabeth, and believe it or not, Nancy, who happened to still be in one piece after our day's journey back to camp.

Chiron was there to greet us in wheelchair form, and Nancy look confused.

"Mr. Brunner? What are you doing here?" Nancy managed to make out. I laughed to myself, biting my lower lip to contain my laughter. Annabeth looked to me to see what was so funny, and the remembered the situation as well. Chiron chuckled lightly.

"No, I am known as Chiron here, though you knew me as Mr. Brunner when I was on the task of getting Percy to camp," He shooed me and Annabeth away, and I eagerly walked down the hill and into the valley with Annabeth's hand in mine. She sighed and leaned her head on my shoulder as we walked down to the beach.

"I wonder why Chiron wanted to talk to Nancy alone," Annabeth mused. I shrugged as we sat down on a flat-surfaced rock near the sea.

"Maybe he wanted to give her the tour himself, instead of one or both of us," I leaned back and watched some fellow campers holding a mock battle out on the lake. From the looks of it, it was getting pretty intense. This was probably one of the last few peaceful times for me for a long while, what with the prophecy no one had yet let me read.

"Watcha thinking Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth asked, laying on her back and staring up at the clouds next to me.

"You know, we have exactly a month until my sixteenth birthday," I said, looking down at her. She stiffened, knowing where this was headed, but she relaxed and laughed lightly.

"You're not getting the prophecy out of me. I had nightmares for weeks afterwards when I heard it, and I still do. Besides, enjoy what peace you get, Perce," She sat up and hopped off the rock, waving as she ran to her archery class, and a bell rang.

I turned to watch the canoes paddle frantically in to the dock. I laughed at pointed a hand at them, urging them to glide into the dock themselves. Some of the newer campers looked startled as the boats lurched and picked up speed of their own accord, but a few older ones just laughed and looked right at me, giving a thumbs up in thanks. I grinned and wandered away.

"Percy! Over here!" Chiron called. I turned after walking up the path to the beach and saw Nancy and Chiron in front of the Big House. I jogged over.

"Yes Chiron?" I asked, throwing a look at Nancy who was glaring daggers at me.

"Would you mind giving Nancy a tour? I have... other... business to attend to at the moment," I sagged in my mind, but frowned outwardly.

"Sure..." I mumbled, turning and walking away. I heard Nancy scrambling to catch up.

"This is the archery range, where, well... you know...," I paused awkwardly as I tried to think about a good way to describe the archery range.

"Where you kill people?" Nancy offered, a bit of humor in her voice.

"No."

"Oh, dang." I shivered to think what Nancy could do with that attitude.

"The archery range is where the Apollo kids hang out, and where other people learn to shoot targets with a bow and arrow," Nancy looked like she had something on the tip of her tongue, but I continued, "And where we at least try to learn to not shoot our allies." Nancy slumped. We walked towards to cabins.

"Volleyball pit, Ampitheater, Dining Pavilion," I droned on as we walked closer to the twelve buildings.

"Wait, what are those?" I turned to see her pointing at the stables, and of course, the Pegasi.

"Oh, that. Those are the Camp Pegasi. Maybe I'll show you some of 'em later." We approached the first cabin, which happened to be Aphrodite's, and a huge argument between two girls about nail polish colors, which I don't even want to get into.

The two girls turned to see Nancy and me approaching, and a dark look crossed their faces.

* * *

Oh snap, what's gonna happen next? Oh, I don't know! What did Chiron want with Nancy? evil laugh Well, you'll see in the next few chappies. Review and add to you list!


	4. What Happens in the Underworld

Thanks for all the coughs views! I'm not going to be annoying, and beg you all for reviews, though they are nice :P This chapter we get to learn what happens to Nancy, and the plot starts to get set up! I'm trying to take this at a relaxed pace, so it may be a bit before we're into the action. But it will come! Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 3 - What Happens In The Underworld, Stays In The Underworld, Or Does It? - Percy**

Me and Nancy walked up to the first cabin, which just happened to be the Aphrodite cabin, with two girls arguing in front. They turned towards us, and when they spotted Nancy trailing after me their expressions darkened. Both stalked to in front of us.

"What is this?" One girl screeched.

"Oh, this is Nancy, and she's new here," I grumbled. Both girls rolled their eyes.

"No, we can tell she's new, Percy. Why would you be followed by a girl? Annabeth would kill you if you were going out with another girl," The other girl said, slashing her hand in front of her neck.

"We're talking about her make-up," she said, pulling Nancy along behind her as both disappeared into the Aphrodite cabin. I blinked at the suddeness of the movement.

"And her hair!" Another yelled from inside the cabin. I shrugged and walked towards my own cabin, it was about time for a nap anyways.

You see, at the beginning of the summer, me and Nico put his plan into action, but we haven't told anyone of it yet.

**-Flashback-**

_"Run!" Nico yelled from behind me, as a swarm of ghouls turned towards us, and started to close in. _

_I turned and ran as he said, but towards the Styx, instead of back the way we came. _

_"Percy! Get out! We don't have time for it anymore!" He yelled as I picked up my pace. What did he say again? _'Remember, when you're in the Styx, you have to concentrate on the thing that ties you to your mortal life.' _Nico told me before we came here._

_"Stop!" A ghoul shouted behind me. It's voice sounded gravely and as if it was through water. An arrow whizzed past me face, missing by a hair's breadth. I was literally feet from the river, and I turned to look at Nico._

_'Sorry,' I mouthed at him, as he glanced at me while trying to fend off the ghouls. He frowned and turned away, a look of concentration falling onto his face._

_I dived into the water, and instantly it felt like thousands of needles were trying to tear me apart. And believe me, that's not something fun. At all. It felt like I was slowly burning away, and being pulled along piece by piece by the river._

_A form appeared in the water in front of me, gaining distinction when I focused on it. The pain became muted for a moment. The form turned out to be a very pretty girl dressed entirely in black. Even her hair and eyes were a deep black, even more so than Nico's. When she spoke, it had an icy tone that sent shivers down my spine and threatened to bring back to full brunt of the pain._

_"What do you seek, young demigod?"_

_"I need to gain invincibility, or else the war against Kronos is lost." I said. She turned and called for someone. Another form came into existence, this time one of a man wearing Greek armor. _

_"Young hero, you must realize once you accept this burden you can't be hurt, and you never will be again?" The man's voice was more human than the girl's, but still contained an edge to it._

_"Well, that's kind of the point, actually." The man chuckled, but the girl's eyes narrowed a fraction._

_"Yes, indeed. My curse gives you a huge advantage over your enemies, but if the spot that will tie you to your mortal life is hit, you are dead, and there is no chance to be revived, no matter how much your friends and family may plead and beg Lord Hades." I finally realized who the man was; Achilles himself. **(see AN)**_

_"You can turn back now, and you will be able to get out of the Styx alive. If you want this, there is no guarantee." The girl said. I nodded._

_"I do want this."_

_"Then let history say we tried," Achilles said somberly, both his and the girl's form starting to fizzle away._

_"To gain what you seek, think of the one thing that holds you in this life. The Styx will reject you if it does not deem you worthy. If it does deem you worthy, however, it shall grant your wish." The girl pulled a black bead from one of her sleeves, and handed it to me._

_"Add this to your necklace, young hero, so when the time is right, they will know what you have gained." And with that, they were gone. The pain started to come back, and I slipped the bead onto the necklace around my neck next to the other four._

_Immediately, I could feel my mind start to slip, and a funny tickling sensation started to trail up my legs and arms. It started to get stronger and more painful as it went. I needed to focus. What tied me to this life? I scrambled through my mind, sorting through everything I could think of._

_A memory kept tugging at my focus, but I pushed it aside. There wasn't any time for tear-jerking remembering. The pain and tickling, now poking sensation was working its way toward where my heart was. My vision started to flicker._

_That's when the memory began._

* * *

_I sat in a canoe, someone else helping me paddle. My own paddle sat forgotten for the moment as I turned to see who was behind me. _

_Annabeth was there, her head slightly leaned forward in concentration, her arms moving slowly and strongly. She looked up when she realized I wasn't doing anything._

_"Seaweed Brain, come on, we need to hold our lead on everyone else. Your pride would get hurt if we lost on your own turf," she grinned and splashed me a bit. It startled me and I fell out of the boat, landing with a splash in the water. When I surfaced, Annabeth had her head peering over the side of the canoe, her paddle forgotten as well. When she saw me looking back at her, she blushed slightly._

_"Well, this isn't helpful." I said, pulling myself back into the boat with an added boost from the water._

_I felt a cool hand on my wrist, and I looked down to see Annabeth's hand. I turned to look at her in confusion, as she was preventing me from paddling. _

_She smiled._

* * *

_The next thing I knew, I was laying on the shore of the river, and my skin was bright red. I poked myself lightly, but it felt no different. I sat there puzzled._

_"Percy! Get your butt over here and help me!" Nico's voice sounded out from behind me. I stood and turned to find a wall of ghouls blocking me, swords and weapons drawn. I pulled Riptide out of my still intact pocket and swiped at the first row._

_The next few minutes - or hours, I really couldn't tell- were a blur. All I knew was the constant rhythm of battle; Slash, duck, roll._

_I soon found myself crouched next to Nico, who was looking at me in awe. The last bit of dust was settling. He punched the air in happiness._

_"I knew it! I could feel your soul leaking away, but then..." He trailed off, still muttering. His eyes fell to my necklace, and they widened at the sight of the pitch black bead._

_"What's with the weird bead?"_

**-End Flashback-**

Hey all! Hope you like it! The story of Nancy will continue a bit in the next chapter! For that AN thing up above, Achilles is basically telling Percy if he dies with the Achilles Curse while in battle, there's no way to revive him, though I'll explain that a bit later. Oh! I finally got a copy of Lost Hero! :D Looking forward to reading it!


	5. SPQR Gets A Prophecy

This is the last slower chapter before we start the actual plot :D I hope you're all excited, because I am. I've decided to split the entire plot into two stories, so I can go into more detail. Also, every few chapters, I want to do a chappie from the Roman's POV. Review what you think about that.

**Chapter 4 - SPQR Gets Their Own Prophecy - JPOV**

The quiet morning was shattered by a yell.

"REYNA!"

"Jason! Get back here!" Came another shout, followed by the sound of running.

Jason stalked off from the Coliseum, where he and Reyna were having- or at least were attempting to have- an early morning practice session. Of course, Jason was getting frustrated with the slowness of the Great Prophecy shaping up, and he happened to be in a particularly bad mood.

He sat down at his table in the open dining pavilion, and traced the cloud etchings on the surface. More people walked in as it got closer to breakfast, and finally the bell sounded.

"Attention!" Lupa's voice sounded over the campers. They looked up expectantly.

"There will be a Council meeting after breakfast. All Praetors and Heads are to be present, and the balcony will be open." A murmur broke out among the tables, but it faded as they dug into their food. Most were probably wondering what made this meeting so special that anyone could view it. The affairs of the Praetors were usually too complicated or boring to follow, so even if the balcony was open, it was never announced.

Jason lost his appetite right there, but he managed to swallow a few bites of food before heading to his room to get ready. He never understood why, but only the Praetors were required to were more formal armor and attire for meetings, even if it was just them. Something about upholding honor. For Jason, this meant grey armor that was extremely polished, and had accents of gold and silver on it, as well as a deep blue cape.

Finally, he found himself in front of the doors to the camp's Council room. A few other campers were straggling over to the side of the building, where a set of stairs led up to the balcony.

He pulled a door open and walked in. A few of the other Heads and Praetors were holding small conversations among themselves, but Reyna, who was his right-hand, looked back at him and smiled.

The room fell silent when he took his seat at the head of the table. The various leaders looked to him for an explanation of the sudden meeting, but he shrugged.

Lupa walked in and settled into the chair on Jason's left, in her human form.

"I asked for a meeting today for a grave matter. It has come to my attention that the Great Prophecy will be in its last phase soon. As such, we are here to discuss what our own actions will be in this war."

"Lupa, as Head of the Minerva House, I would like to put forth a proposal," A girl in dark grey armor said. Jason looked at her and nodded to her to continue.

"As this war will require vast resources, at least more so than we currently have on hand, I would like to suggest sending out a few quests to gather supplies and recruit demigods before they are pulled into the other side. After that, I suggest we wait and see how the war develops from there. My sources indicate there is a gathering of monsters on top of Mount Tamplais, near here, and that Mount Orthrys is reforming."

"The multiple requests for a quest have been noted, and we shall put them to a vote before we decide who shall go. Agreed?" Jason asked dryly. All the leaders nodded. For the next few minutes, they sorted through a list of people to go on each quest. It was finally decided the Praetors would split and each lead one, while the Heads would stay and watch over the situation on Mount Tam.

Jason was about to summarize the information when the doors behind him banged open. He frowned and turned to look who had dared to interuppted the meeting.

Standing in the door way was none other than their Oracle. She wasn't seen often around the camp, but when she was, people usually stayed away from her. Jason turned back to the table and motioned for a few of the lower-ranking Heads to fetch her a seat. She was soon settled to the left of Lupa.

"What brings you here, Oracle?" Jason asked. The girl paled and her eyes flashed to a deep green.

"_Watch your backs, oh leaders,_

_And try to hide your secrets,_

_For when the final battles dawns,_

_And all your friends turn away,_

_Look behind, but don't look back._

_"When the wandering spirit from history past,_

_Looks for shelter and you give none,_

_Beware the hidden memories they offer,_

_Beware the twice-betrayed edge."_

Jason blinked in surprise, and the room became deathly silent. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the room burst into chatter. He glanced at Reyna who also looked from the corner of her eye to watch his reaction. An unspoken message passed between them, and Jason stood abruptly. The room's attention fell on him, and it was quiet with a few murmured words.

"We will continue this discussion on another occasion. Until then, the meeting has been dismissed."

The leaders looked to him to tell them to stay behind and discuss without the audience, but Jason turned and walked out of the door, his brow furrowed in deep thought.

The walk back to his room to change back into normal clothes was quiet until Reyna caught up to him. She let her feet fall into pace with Jason's and watched him for a sign of anything, but he ignored her.

When they reached the door to the Jupiter House, he turned to her.

"Reyna, what are we going to do?" He sat down on the steps facing the distant beach. The only House closer to the beach than his was the empty Neptune cabin, which was perched precariously on the edge of the cliff as if it couldn't decide whether or not to jump from loneliness. It was depressing, really.

Reyna sat next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. They sat there for a while, watching as the campers drifted off to the day's different activities. A few glanced their way, but quickly looked the other direction.

"Well, for now, we can only prepare for the war, and hope that the prophecy given to us does not mean our deaths." Reyna stood as walked down the steps, her yellow and gold robes and armor from the Council meeting shifting in the breeze.

"Get changed, Sparky, and let's finish that spar we were in the middle of," She chuckled, before disappearing down the path towards her own House.

Jason met her back down in the Coliseum, where she sat fiddling with a pebble absentmindedly.

"Ready?"

* * *

Bleh, not so happy with this chapter, but it helps set up for both portions of the plot. I won't do many chapters around the Romans, at least not yet. You'll just have to wait and see! I may go back and edit the prophecy to make it more up to my standards, maybe not. :D See ya soon!


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